GOODRICH (2024)

October 17, 2024

Greetings again from the darkness. The heart definitely skips a beat when the phone rings late in the night, awakening us from a deep slumber. Andy Goodrich groggily answers the call to hear his wife inform him that she’s checked herself into rehab and then ending the call with, “I’m leaving you”. It doesn’t take long for us to realize the real problem. Andy seems to be the only one unaware that his wife too frequently swallowed prescription drugs and chased them down with a bit of booze. Over the next few days, Andy is almost too late in recalling that his 9-year-old son has a peanut allergy, and discovers that his 9-year-old daughter (yep, twins) hates to be late for school and likes a glass of water on her bedstand at night.

Writer-director Hallie Meyers-Shyer (HOME AGAIN, 2017, daughter of filmmakers Nancy Meyers and Charles Shyer of PRIVATE BENJAMIN and FATHER OF THE BRIDE fame) shows us that Andy (Oscar winner Michael Keaton) has always been somewhat absent from his family, choosing instead to pour his heart and soul into the art gallery he owns. It’s a business that once flourished, but now struggles month to month. The old saying goes, ‘when it rains, it pours’, and Andy is experiencing an emotional and emergency flash flood. The twins, precocious Billie (Vivian Lyra Blair) and quiet Mose (Jacob Kopera), need their dad to crash-course the whole parenting thing, while he also tries to salvage his business. Andy decides to lean on his adult daughter Grace (Mila Kunis, BLACK SWAN, 2010), who also has always felt distant from and let down by her father.

Now, you might be questioning 73-year-old Michael Keaton as the dad of fourth grade twins, but he easily passes for sixty-something here, and his unique blend of dramatic and comedy talent makes him one of the few who could pull this off. His frenetic energy plays right into the role and we accept him as a guy who hasn’t been good at ‘family’ but has the heart to make the effort when he must. The scenes between Andy and Grace are the best, as both Keaton and Kunis work to elevate the material. Supporting work comes from Michael Urie (“Shrinking”) as a gay single parent who is a bit over-emotional, Danny Deferrari (SHIVA BABY, 2020) as Grace’s opposite-from-Andy husband, Kevin Pollak as Andy’s business manager, Carmen Ejogo (“Your Honor”) as a feminist singer and a last gasp hope for the gallery, Laura Benanti as Andy’s rehabbing wife, Poorna Jagannathan as Grace’s doctor, and Andie MacDowell as Andy’s ex-wife.

The lesson here is keeping the important things in life as a priority, which is a relatively simple and heavy message, and fortunately the cast (especially Keaton) can handle it. There are enough laughs included – the best involves Halloween costumes of Warhol, Frida, and Dali – to balance the bleak elements and the cliches; however, personally I could have used a bit more of absent dad reconnecting with pregnant daughter. Still, watching Keaton’s Andy come to grips with his lifelong self-centeredness makes this one worth watching.

In theaters beginning October 18, 2024

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Posted by David Ferguson

WOLFS (2024)

September 26, 2024

Greetings again from the darkness. George Clooney and Brad Pitt are both two-time Oscar winners and are both north of 60 years old now. This latest film from writer-director Jon Watts (three Spider-Man movies) seems to ask the question: Are they still cool in a wise-cracking action movie star way? It’s been twenty-three years since the two long-time friends co-starred in the first (of 3) “Ocean’s” movies, and there is no doubt they were the epitome of cool then. But what about now?  And does it matter? The argument can be made that it does matter since so few non-superhero and non-comic book movies are capable of drawing big crowds to the theater these days. Unfortunately, this film won’t answer the question about drawing power, as a very limited one-week theatrical release will be followed by a run on Apple TV+.

The sound of shattering glass is followed by three F-words, the first dialogue we hear (and also the last). It turns out, the local District Attorney (Amy Ryan, “The Office”) is justified in using the language as she finds herself in a luxury hotel room with an apparently dead, underwear-clad young man on the floor, and blood all over her clothes. Now, if you or I were in this situation, we would quickly surmise there is no way out. In contrast, a powerful politician has a phone number to call. Soon, George Clooney is at her door. He’s a “fixer” or “cleaner”, depending on your preferred nomenclature. He’s calm and cool (there’s that word again) under pressure, and claims to be the only one who can do what he does. This claim is soon shattered as Brad Pitt shows up – equally calm and cool (!) – disavowing Clooney’s ‘only’ claim. If not for the blood and the body, Amy Ryan might be just fine with Clooney and Pitt popping into her hotel room. But that “if” looms large.

Circumstances being what they are, the two lone ‘wolfs’ are forced to work together. Their rivalry is enhanced by the one-liners, facial gestures, and body language that stems from Clooney and Pitt knowing each other so well. Their mission is made abundantly clear once a bag with four bricks of heroin is found … just prior to the body on the floor springing back to life. What follows is a unique and extended (too long) chase scene through the city at night. It turns out the body/young man/kid (played well by Austin Abrams, PAPER TOWNS, “Euphoria”) adds to the complication for our two fixers … despite finding them quite cool (!).

This trio crosses paths with Poorna Jagannathan (“The Night Of”) playing a Chinatown doctor they can trust, Zlatko Buric playing a nasty Albanian mob boss, and Richard Kind as the Kid’s dad with a Sinatra fixation (in a clever scene). It’s entertaining to see the long-time friends playing on screen rivals – both with bad backs, reading glasses, and a shared bottle of Advil. They probably aren’t as witty (or cool) as they imagine, but filmmaker Watts uses their camaraderie as an asset (and also Sade’s “Smooth Operator”). You’ll notice a few tips of the cap to previous characters and films, including Butch and Sundance near the end. Although she’s uncredited, you’ll appreciate knowing that is Oscar winner Frances McDormand’s voice on the phone in an early scene. Overall, it’s decent entertainment while reminding us to “check the pulse.”

Premieres on Apple TV+ beginning September 27, 2024

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Posted by David Ferguson

AN ACTOR PREPARES (2018)

August 29, 2018

 Greetings again from the darkness. Does a kid ever lose hope that what was once a horrible/absentee parent might magically evolve into a dependable, caring parent – even as an adult? Is it ever too late for that parent to make amends? Director Steve Clark co-wrote this story with Thomas Moffett about a narcissistic actor (is there any other type?) and his feeling-slighted grown son being forced to take a road trip that likely won’t lead to bonding, but could result in their better understanding each other.

The film opens with a sweeping overhead shot of the Hollywood sign and the glittering lights below. It’s fitting since a big part of the story is the level of entitlement and garish ego proliferating the industry that put the town on the map. Legendary actor Atticus Smith is being presented a lifetime achievement award. We see that his career has been widely diverse with project titles ranging from the legitimate sounding “The Language of Men” to those with significantly more shock value like “Throwdown at Bitch River”. His speech is quite awkward, but it serves well as our introduction to the character which Jeremy Irons makes his own.

Mr. Irons goes over-the-top to play Atticus. His blustery mannerisms, ever-present scarf, and center-of-attention-seeking personality dominate much of the film and allow us to understand why his grown son Adam (Jack Huston) carries such a grudge for the man who never really tried to be his father, and who readily admits that the younger daughter (Mamie Gummer) is his favorite. It’s really the only empathy we can muster for Adam, since he early on establishes himself as a pretty unlikeable and quite annoying professor of film. In his first scene, he actually tries to lecture a class of female students on the real meaning of feminism (the class is “Cinema through a Feminist Lens”). The next time we see him, he’s being rude to his father Atticus, who has just suffered a heart attack. You know the type.

It’s that heart attack that puts these men together on the road – initially in a luxury tour bus, and later in a classic Plymouth Barracuda. Their destination is the daughter’s wedding, and the trip includes stops at the Chateau Marmont and The Drake Hotel in Chicago. Along the way, we see a bit more of a post-shower Atticus than we would prefer, watch one of the worst baseball scenes in movie history, and witness Atticus sneaking booze and porn on the bus, and then finally drugging his son.

The title of the film comes from a book by acting teacher Konstantin Stanislavski, which makes total sense once we realize these two men have been acting their way through life. Adam is terrified of becoming a parent like his father, keeps his own health issues a secret, and is apparently inept at documentary filmmaking, which he claims as his profession. On the trip, Atticus is prepping for his next role – he is to play God, which he seems to think is perfect casting … although the studio and his manager (Ben Schwartz) are quite concerned about his health.

Mr. Huston does finally bring his character along to the point where he seems more tolerable, and the film might surprise you on where it ends. There is some decent comedy and a yin and yang with father and son that adds enough entertainment value, as long as you can enjoy the flamboyant approach taken by the venerable Mr. Irons.

Watch the trailer:

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Posted by David Ferguson